insagt1

i'll accept anything but an injury!

CAnt have both Bux and Donaldson injured on the first weekend. that would just not be fair!

'a rather meaningless individual achievement'. That comment doesn't deserve further comment.

I'll also say that after only two games, this board is a swirl of contentiousness already. Strong opinions in both directions. Frankly as in most things in the past few years, there is no middle ground and no one will more off their strongly held opinions, based on what I am reading. One side is just plain stupid to feel the way they do. the other side equally as stupid. Yay. I agree with those who find strikeouts boring. Exhibit A is Sano. To enjoy a potential 500 ft bomb every 6th game, you also have to endure 5 games where he will fan minimally 10 times and kill perhaps as many rallies. If this is what everyone wants, fine. Be prepared for a season of it. And I will hope that that HR he hits every 6th game is a game winner. (no sarcasm...that too would be fine!)

Call me old school but can you imagine taking Carleton, Seaver, Maddux, Clemens, Koufax, Palmer and countless others out of a no-hit game after 84 pitches, 12 k's and no walks...no matter when it was pitched? Come on. How often does a pitcher get to throw a no-hitter? By taking him out, does that insure he gets 30 starts? This is major league baseball for Pete's sake. Or it least it was as I remembered it. It was stupid taking him out. You always want a chance to see something exceptional...since afterall baseball is still entertainment, correct? If starting pitchers today are that fragile (and apparently they are) the sport and its fans are the losers. When someone is doing something extraordinary...you let him finish the job. Totally not a fan of that decision and I suspect I'll get booed off the site for feeling that way. I want to see a baseball game, not a scientific experiment in sabremetrics, statistics and all the other stuff that has infiltrated the game. Ok. off the soapbox.

It was a bad game. The 9th inning was positively ugly. Only one game but already one of our biggest fears might be reality after only 1 inning, with another Donalson injury. Please Buxton....stay healthy.

bittersweet season for me now that Rochester is no longer the AAA affiliate after 18 years. We are now with the Nationals, a team I am 'obligated' to dislike because they should still be the Expos, the team I lived and died with (mostly died) since their birth in 1969. Our media has done nothing to acquaint us with the organization. So I am still interested in the Twins, but at a different level I guess. The 'connection' is no longer there, but its hard to just let go after all those years. I still cheer on the Orioles too, as we were affiliated with them for over 40 years of my life. So, here's to the Twins finally winning a playoff game in 2021! And I will be cheering on the prospects that did pass thru Rochester in recent years. As for the Nats...meh, at least for now.

It seems not good to have one of baseball's pure hitters (Arraez) already relegated to utility. With a lineup full of k's as it is, how do you keep him on the bench? I worry a lot more about Sano than whether Cruz has lost a bit of his pop. Sano had a terrible year in 2020. 25 or so HR's over 154 games will not compensate for 200+ k's. IMHO. If Donaldson and Buxton continue their injury path and if Garver is not the hitter we thought, Twins lineup could be a mess. Cruz was the only Twin who didn't disappear in the playoffs. The only one. No HR's yes, but he did drive in runs, few as there were. I think for one more season, Twins need him back. As much as they ALL say otherwise, it will come down to money.

you hate to see a talented player go to one of your biggest rivals but such is life. will the Twins have erred in giving up on Eddie, a fan favorite? Will 2 fan favorites be gone? (Cruz) Guess we'll find out. I think any chance the Twins have this year in competing will depend on who stays healthy. If Donaldson and Buxton spend more time in the trainers room than on the field, Twins will be in real trouble...for starters.

Lots of differing opinions on this one. On one hand, if Cruz REALLY wanted to come back (and money wasn't the sticking point) this probably would have been done by now. How much tread does he still have? Is his value to the Twins more than just what he does in the lineup? Can the Twins compete for a post season spot in 2021? Cruz, interestingly was the only offensive weapon the Twins had in their sorry series loss to Houston. He is immensely popular with the fans. That probably doesn't matter in the negotiations. Would he sign with the Twins for less money than perhaps an NL offers because he wants to return? I believe Twins will respect his contributions, and make him a fair offer. If he's not happy with the offer, he will go elsewhere.

its jan 15th. anyone in Minnesota have additional clarity on whether they want to re-sign Cruz? Also is it out of the realm of possibility to trade Sano, given the right offer? I keep wondering if what we got from him last year is his true ceiling. The long slumps and frequent k's are not very promising. but maybe Twins fans aren't ready to give up on him just yet.

I concur---please not the AL Central. hate it when someone who is disgarded with tread on the tires comes back to haunt. Any news on Cruz? We don't get any news in Rochester....and naturally now we will get less than no news!

what league will St. Paul play in? Have not heard that there will be any changes in the I.L. In fact we don't even know yet that there will be a season. Red Wings signed on for 10 years with the Nats (a franchise that has not produced much success at AAA) But no rumors about anything these days.

Being from Rochester, I will miss the Twins affiliation. While they didn;t deliver us a championship in 17 seasons, we had more winning seasons than losing. And the only reason our overall record was under .500 was two horrific seasons back to back with a terrible, unengaged, zero of a manager. I leave it to you to figure out who. The two seasons were the worst in the modern era for the Wings. Rochester has been the model of stability having only 3 parent teams....St Louis, Baltimore and Minnesota. And they have been assured that they will remain in AAA. Don't know who yet, but we have been told the I.L. will have the same cities if there is a 2021 season. We leave the Twins with no malice. It was a good 17 years and we wish you all well.

I like the DH, now that todays pitchers basically can't hit at all...with a new exceptions of course. I wouldn't mind if it became universal. I also would love to see a return to starting pitchers completing games again. the former might happen...the latter will never happen IMO. But games were fun to watch when the horses were out there dueling with each other. I also think (probably very unpopular here) that analytics are ripping the soul out of the GAME. I don't need a stat for every little thing. When a guy hits a HR, I never turn to my buddy and say...wow, did you see that launch angle? Or, wonder what the exit velocity was?. Additionally I wish the shift would go away too. I know this all sounds so old school....but for decades I loved just going to the games, having a beer, a dog, buying a scorecard and enjoying the sport in all its glory. Those days are gone, never to return. I'm glad I had them though. Baseball, like so many things has drastically changed...and we must move on or get run over.

Question for those close to the Twins in Minnesota...as many here know I am from Rochester, NY. Few days ago a 'rumor' of sorts started circulating. It said Twins are planning to switch their AAA affiliate to St; Paul and Fresno is being downgraded from AAA. this would leave WAshington with no AAA affiliate...thus making Rochester their reasonable destination. No one is openly talking about this here, but its out there. Anyone on this site know about this rumor?.

I'm not a Yankee fan...in fact I dislike them immensely...but I have to think MLB is praying for a Yankee-Dodger World Series. Can you imagine the TV ratings if the WS is between the A's and Marlins..or the Rays and Marlins....3 teams that sit at the bottom of attendance every year and have no fans or national interest outside of their own cities (if that) The NHL Finals featured two teams that generated very little interest outside the participating citys (Tampa and Dallas) NBA has LeBron, but does anyone care about the Miami Heat anymore? (or the NBA for that matter) Baseball needs a marquee matchup and sadly the Yanks provide that. Now...I will go wash my mouth out with soap and sit in the naughty chair.

Bring him back for at least next year. If he starts to fade badly, I think the guy has enough integity to know when ts time to step aside. Mentioned many times...he was the only run producer in that 2 game mess with Houston. Incidentally not to get sidetracked but have we noticed that the old 'you can't win playoff games with HR's hasn't applied much this year. Several teams are blasting them out with great regularity. Our guys however, not only stopped hitting the long ball, they stopped making contact altogether. A sorry sight I'm still unhappy about. As for Donaldson/Buxton alternating as DH's...if Buxton can't play CF, we lose a ton of his value to the team. 2021 I believe is his last chance with the Twins. If we play a full season and he only gets in under 100 games, its time to cut bait. If Cruz wants back, we should welcome him with open arms. He is good playing and he is great with the players. I also think 2021 is Sano's last shot as well...if he isn't gone by then...which I think is a good possibility.

Tampa won the Stanley Cup and they are making a legit run at the WS. Over the years the Lightning have drawn some of the biggest crowds in the NHL during the regular season. The Rays may be the worst team in baseball attendance-wise.Go figure. Those Florida fans like hockey over baseball? I have been hoping that the Rays move to Montreal. It would be good for baseball to have Montreal back in the big leagues. Only reason attendance tanked over the final 10 years was 1) the 1994 strike 2) telling the fans the team was moving every year thereafter 3) an owner whose only purpose for being there was to move the team 4) a GM who pocketed the excise tax money rather than spend it improving the team. Montreal is a great baseball town...ever since the AAA Montreal Royals and Jackie Robinson. Tampa has never been a good baseball town...from the inception. (of note: the Expos drew more fans to their horrible ballpark than the Rays in their horrible ballpark!)

What is particularly annoying is that the Yankees are pretty good at both long ball and small ball, while also getting decent pitching. They don't win the WS every year, but they do win a few series along the way. They scored 22 runs in 2 games against maybe the best pitching staff in the playoffs. Yanks are fun to watch when you don't care who wins (of course I always hope they lose!)

Funny...but I was saying the same thing basically this afternoon...I'm already ready for the new season and I wish it were starting tomorrow. my colleague said to me...well, you can't win them all. To which I said softly...but I can't I win just one!!!

spycake---how true indeed on the Beatles tune. All I focused on was the title..but Lennon's loser was not the Twins loser! Should we now go to Jackson Browne's The Pretender!!

From my baseball-less perch in Rochester, NY, I wish you all a safe off-season and look forward to more Twins baseball, hopefully, in 2021. And we hope to be able to resume play in AAA, to help develop the next crop of Twins going forward. It was a tough season for sure. I enjoyed reading everyone's feelings and opinions as well as being able to vent a bit about yet another failed post season. i appreciate that for the most part, the folks here respected each others thoughts, agree or disagree, without making the poster feel like they didn't belong. I'll make a comment about one thing I felt about game one: Romo has to not walk in the go-ahead run...no matter what transpired before. His job was to throw strikes and let his teammates back him up. In that capacity, Romo failed badly. Other than that, you all have made good observations about what caused us to crash and burn. From the way the Yankees took apart the Indians pitching staff, including the almost sure thing Cy Young winner,we probably wouldn't have had a chance against them anyway. As to who I'd like to see represent the AL in World Series....anyone but the Yankees! So again everyone....stay well. Already looking forward to 2021.

salt in the wound: was dwiving in my cawr...turned on the wadio...to the Beatles Channel and what was playing? I'm a Loser. Geez.

Old adage in baseball...not how many you get, but when. That applied to our bullpen. when it mattered most, they failed to do their job. In a close game your job is 1) throw strikes and 2) don't give up runs. their guys did that, ours didn't. We lost. Pitchers have part of the blame. Our hitters...made the bullpen look real bad by not providing them with anything. Buxton...an enigma to me. Could be the most exciting player in baseball. But he's not. And his hitting tailed way off during the final week to 10 days. he started swinging at all those pitches out of the zone like he did in past years. Donaldson...minimal contributions this year. Love his 'd'...not his bat or his childish temper, which cost us at least one game. (I know thats subjective....but you gotta be a team player when the games count the most) And he's chronically hurt and that may not ever get better. Sano--disappeared. Polanco...have no clue what happened to him. Ditto Garver. Both were terrible. Gonzo and Cave...expendable. Rosario...not going to change him. He may be gone. Kepler...can be hot in stretches and then he also disappears. Rogers and Romo...both failed. Rogers, most the season. Romo when it counted most. Too many k's. Way too many. Too much reliance on the HR...and everyone here at one time or another has said, you can't rely on those in the playoffs. The team that was supposed to hit a lot of them hit none, but Houston won one game with a HR late in game two. Well, we are getting all of this out of our system today...a day of real disappointment. But it's not easy just forgetting 18 straight playoff losses. Nobody has ever done that before. Like the Buffalo Bills 'wide right' in the Super Bowl loss to the Giants, Twins will have to live with this ignominy until they finally win a game and series.(or Super Bowl) thats just the way it is.